According to MSNBC commentator Chis Matthews, the devastating superstorm that pummeled New York and New Jersey shortly before the election was a God-send because it “brought in possibilities for good politics.” The New York Times insisted that the disaster illustrated the supposedly vital role played by federal agencies such as FEMA.

People on the receiving end of federal benevolence have a very different view of the matter.

Residents of a FEMA refugee center in Oceanport, New Jersey called “CampFreedom” complain that their living conditions resemble those of a prison camp. Not only are they been left exposed to the cold and deprived of promised amenities such as washing machines and hot showers, they have also been cut off from nearly all contact with the outside world. They are denied WiFi access, not allowed to use smart phones, and have been forbidden to take pictures of their surroundings.

Many residents of Staten Island left homeless in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy might find themselves literally living in prison. Up to 900 of the 5,200 borough residents who applied for FEMA housing could be warehoused in the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, a shuttered medium-security prison.